Industrial chemical reactions are carried out in a wide array of manufacturing operations. Such reactions often involve or liberate highly reactive material or hazardous material that can present a significant safety risk. Examples of industrial chemical reactions that fall into this category include the production of ethylene oxide, fluorination, and hydrogenation to name a few. Hydrogenation is a chemical reaction between molecular hydrogen (H2) and another compound or element, usually in the presence of a catalyst such as nickel, palladium or platinum.
The largest scale application of hydrogenation is for the processing of vegetable oils in the food industry. Typical vegetable oils are derived from polyunsaturated fatty acids (containing more than one carbon-carbon double bond). Their partial hydrogenation reduces most but not all, of these carbon-carbon double bonds. The degree of hydrogenation is controlled by restricting the amount of hydrogen, reaction temperature and time, and the catalyst. In the case of hydrogenation, hydrogen is a highly reactive molecule and can be dangerous and hazardous if not contained and controlled very carefully.
Industrial chemical reactions such as hydrogenation commonly are carried out in large reaction vessels and may involve mixing H2 with a substance to be hydrogenated in the presence of a catalyst and stirring the mixture. This process can be hazardous at least in part because of the large volume of material being reacted at one time and the highly reactive nature of the H2. Such reactions also often require expensive catalysts that are not always completely recoverable or are expensive to recover after the reaction is complete.
A need exists for a method and apparatus for carrying out chemical reactions such as hydrogenation involving highly reactive or hazardous material that is safe, fast, easily scalable to handle commercial volumes reactants and products, highly effective and efficient, and that does not require that a catalyst or catalysts be recovered after the reaction is complete. It is to the provision of such a method and apparatus that the present invention is primarily directed.